National Dessert Day: Pear Cream Puffs

Mandatory Credit: LWYang

Today, is another one of the 175 days that the United States celebrates that deals with a food or a drink. Today, October 14th is National Dessert Day.

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Today, I will look at two of my favorite desserts. When it comes to desserts, for me, it depends on the holiday or the time of year, that will determine which dessert I will have or want to have. For example, my birthday, I prefer a German Chocolate Cake, but it is the only time I will really eat chocolate. During the summer a Strawberry Rhubarb Pie is the way to go. Obviously, at Thanksgiving, Pie is the choice of dessert but which one, I will usually make a Pumpkin, Apple and Southern Pecan Pie, all recipes that my mother made and has given to me. I prefer the Pecan over the other two but will not shy away from them either.

Although, I enjoy eating a wide variety of desserts, probably my favorite dessert to make is a Bigne alle pere con cioccolato, or pear cream puffs with chocolate sauce. I got the recipe a couple of years ago out of the La Cucina Italiano Magazine.

These are a light dessert with a pear filling and a not too sweet chocolate sauce to drizzle over the top.

Here is the recipe.

Ingredients: Pastry Puffs

1 cup water

4 T unsalted butter

1/2 t sugar

1/8 t fine sea salt

1 1/3 cups unbleached all purpose flour

3 large eggs

2 large egg whites

Pastry Cream:

3 medium Bartlett Pears

1/4 sup water

1 vanilla bean

1/4 cup sugar

3 T unsalted butter

1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1 cup whole milk

3/4 cup heavy cream

Sauce:

5 ounces dark chocolate roughly chopped

2 T dark rum

2 T heavy cream

1 T sugar

1/4 sup water

fine sea salt

Directions:

For Pastry Puffs: Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium heavy saucepan, bring water, butter, sugar, and salt to a boil over medium-high heat. Add flour and, using a wooden spoon, immediately stir until mixture is well combined.

Stir steadily until mixture pulls away from sides and forms a ball. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes (do not brown).

Transfer mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on lowest speed for 1 minute. Increase speed to medium, and add the whole eggs, one at a time, beating until each is completely incorporated before adding the next. Add egg whites in same manner. Beat until dough is smooth, about 2 minutes more.

Spoon dough into a large pastry bag fitted with a 3/4 inch fluted tip and pipe 24 mounds onto prepared baking sheet, each about 1 3/4 inches in diameter, leaving 1 1/2 inches between mounds. Bake until puffs are lightly brown about 20 minutes, then reduce oven temp to 400 degrees and continue baking until golden brown, about 10 minutes more. Transfer puffs to a wire rack to cool. Leave oven on.

For Pastry Cream: Peel, halve, and core pears. Arrange pears, cut side down, in a baking dish; add water. Split vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape seeds over pears. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn pears and continue baking until tender, about 15 minutes more. Transfer contents of baking dish to a food processor; puree until smooth.

In a small saucepan, melt 3 T butter; remove from heat. Ad flour and stir to combine.

In a medium saucepan bring cream and milk to a boil over medium high heat. Add pear puree and flour mixture; whisk to combine. Continue to cook, stirring frequently until pastry cream is think enough to form a ribbon, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes.

Transfer pastry cream to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4 inch plain tip. Insert tip into side or bottom of each puff, and fill.

For Sauce: In a small, heavy sauce pan, combine chocolate, rum, cream, sugar, water and pinch of salt. Heat over medium heat, whisking often, until chocolate is melted and sauce is smooth.

Arrange cream puffs on serving plated and drizzle with chocolate sauce.

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